LAT: New Adventures: Friends in Fog
by Essansee
Summary: Annette is home, everything is good...Christmas is right around the corner, which means a visit from Aunt Sarah...and someone new. Danielle is about to learn a valuable lesson in love and friendship.


**Hey guys! I'm back with another story-I hope everyone liked the ending of Journey. :3 And I hope you all got to see Annette and Mitch on Deviantart as well! Speaking of Mitch-He's had a name change. It's finished on DA, and I'll soon change it here, starting with this story. His name is officially Kilian. **

** .com**

**This story will probably be much shorter that my others, and more simple...since it will feature Danielle. I've been wanting to do a story for her for a long time. She needs something special-so here it is. **

**Danielle's story. Enjoy!**

"When is she leaving?"

"She isn't even here yet!"

"Doesn't answer my question..."

Danielle, the little cocker spaniel mix, was looking back and forth between her brother and sister as they discussed the impending doom. Aunt Sarah was coming to stay, and the whole family was in an uproar about it this afternoon.

They were standing together in the front room, having just heard the news.

Danielle watched Collette scoff and shake her head.

"Really, Scamp. She's not that bad! She's just strict."

Scamp made a face.

"I guess you'll be defending her cats next."

"I don't think any dog is capable of that, Scamp." A new voice broke into the conversation. Scamp broke into a wide grin and turned to see his best friend, and mate, Angel, walking into the room. She returned the smile.

"Hey, Angel!" He greeted, wagging his little tail.

Danielle couldn't help but laugh. She always laughed when she was happy. And what reason would there be to not be happy? Life was good.

"Wanna go hide with me for a few days?" Scamp woofed, thumping his body down in a playful crouch.

Angel rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Psh. I don't know about that. What's so bad about Aunt Sarah anyway?"

"Nothing!" Collette protested. "Scamp doesn't like her because she never lets him get into trouble without giving him a slipper afterwards."

Danielle laughed again. That was funny! It was true. Scamp and Aunt Sarah didn't see eye to eye.

"Ha! Yeah! Scamp's always gettin' the slipper!" Danielle just couldn't help but add.

"Wrong! Aunt Sarah doesn't let me have any _fun._" Scamp corrected Collette with a snort. His big ears flopped loudly against his head.

"Your idea of fun would probably ruin her shoes." Collette joked.

Scamp's face brightened.

"Scamp..." Angel warned, trying her best not to laugh. Danielle's smile grew wider. It was times like this that she loved her family the most, when they were just being silly and happy, talking to each other...it was times like this that she understood them most. Other than that, they were all so confusing!

"What...I didn't say anything." The scruffy grey dog looked at his best friend. "It's Collette that's talking about ruining old Sarah's shoes." He tossed his head in his indignant sister's direction.

"Why are we ruining Aunt Sarah's shoes?"

Everyone turned to see the speaker. It was Annette. Limping close at her side was the terrier mix, the patchy brown and white Kilian.

"Annette!" Danielle woofed. Her tail wagged furiously. Annette gave her identical sister a winning smile.

"Hello, Danielle."

Collette nodded a quiet greeting to the other dogs, while Angel and Scamp woofed their happy hellos. Annette and Collette had made up for their fighting after Annette returned home, but there was still an awkwardness around them that Danielle didn't understand. She always brushed it off. She was just happy to have her sisters back together.

Annette had returned home a few weeks ago, much to everyone's joy. She had even brought her new friend with her. The two had come back with a wild story about being kidnapped, forced into a gang, and even made to fight each other.

Most of the pair's scars were closing now, hidden by their fur. But there was one...

Annette reached Danielle and pushed her head under her sister's in a sweet kind of greeting. Danille could feel the scarring on the back of Annette's neck, bare and thick. Fur tinged the edges of the jagged thing, but refused to grow back on it.

Danielle felt sadness. She had always looked up to her sisters. She had always known that they were smarter than she was, better at talking even. Sometimes it was hard for her to speak as well as them. She couldn't find words to voice that she'd missed Annette in her absence.

Scamp sighed, and finally answered the question.

"Collette suggested we ruin Aunt Sarah's shoes for fun."

"What!" Collette choked. A little ripple of laughter passed through the growing crowd of dogs. Even Collette herself laughed.

"Who's Aunt Sarah?" Kilian piped up shyly in his husky voice. "I 'ent never seen her around here."

"She's an old lady." Danielle nodded seriously. That should explain it. Annette glanced at her slightly younger sister and then looked at Kilian. Her eyes took on a sparkly kind of admiring look when she spoke to him.

"She hasn't been around for a visit since I met you. She doesn't live here."

"She might as well, if she's staying 'til after Christmas..." Scamp groaned. "If I get blamed for anything those cats of hers do...I'll...I'll..."

A sharp knock on the door interrupted the scruffy dog's sentence.

"Coming!" The master, Jim Dear's voice echoed excitedly through the house. The knocker beat on the door again. "I'm coming, Aunt Sarah!"

"Aw, man..." Scamp whined. He began to slink from the room, only stopping to grab Angel's tail along the way. She wiggled away from her friend with a protesting squeak, and the two escaped together without another word.

The door flew open before Jim Dear could reach it. He skidded on his heel and stopped awkwardly in the hall while Aunt Sarah stormed in, throwing an incredibly cold wind after her. Clenched tightly in one bony fist was a basket, and out of the basket peeped two sets of mean looking blue eyes.

In the other fist was a child's hand, and on the end of that hand was a young boy. He was crying loudly, in a deep, sad voice.

"Jim!" The old woman shrilled. "Get my bags, my hands are full! Quick now, before my makeup freezes out there!"

"Y-yes Aunt Sarah, of course." Jim stuttered, as shocked as anyone.

Every dog was watching, stunned at the entrance. Aunt Sarah dropped her cats by the door and dragged the petrified little boy through the front room.

"Come now, Thomas. Quickly, out of the cold." She said, sounding almost motherly, if a bit sharp. The boy, Thomas, just cried and let her pull him. She thrust him down on the sofa and gave him a single command.

"Sit."

He sniffled and ran the back of a clumsy hand over his dripping nose. His blue eyes blinked pitifully.

"Jim! Have you got my bags?" Everyone's attention snapped to poor Jim. He was lugging a heavy suitcase in either hand, stumbling under the weight. The tall man kicked the door shut behind him with one foot.

"Yes, Aunt Sarah. I suppose I'll take these to the guest room for you." He panted, shuffling away as Darling appeared. Junior was toddling behind her in green pajamas. He peeked around his mother's leg when she stopped to speak to Aunt Sarah.

"Sarah, it is good to see you!" She said sweetly. "And I take it this is Thomas?" She turned her head with a gentle smile to the sniffling boy. "He's grown."

Aunt Sarah chuckled. "He has." She walked over and patted Thomas's sandy blonde head roughly. He blinked hard and gave a gurgling grunt. Danielle was surprised. She'd never seen a boy this big make noises like that. He was at least six years old, but he sounded like Junior.

The boy hunched under Aunt Sarah's pats, slouching into the sofa as if he was the most miserable child in existance.

"His parents..." Darling said in a hushed voice. "Have they had him see a doctor as of late?"

Danielle perked her ears. She knew what a doctor was. It was a vet, for people. Why did the little boy need a vet? He didn't look hurt.

She glanced around at her sisters, and Kilian. Collette had lost interest. She was gazing at the basket by the door, which was now empty. The spaniel mix excused herself quietly and trotted off to investigate.

Annette and Kilian were creeping forward, side by side, to get a closer look at the boy. Danielle decided to follow.

"Hey!" She barked. "I wanna see too."

"Shhh!" Annette hissed. She gave her sister a patient look. "You'll scare him."

"He's already scared. That woman's yelling probably did him in." Kilian wrinkled his nose and crept closer.

Danielle, Annette, and Kilian reached the sofa and hopped up on their hind legs to investigate. Thomas rubbed his eyes again and gazed over his feet at the dogs.

It was then that Danielle got her first good look at the boy. He had dirty blonde hair that fell into his face, though it looked like someone had tried to comb it. His blue eyes were slanted and sleepy looking. He tilted his head, much like a dog would, and licked his lips with a wet tongue as clumsy as his hands were.

"Ugh..." He whined.

"We're not gonna hurt ya." Kilian told the little boy with a toothy smile. The child's head wobbled around as he gazed back and forth between the three dogs. Annette wagged her tail and stretched out a paw to touch the boy's leg.

Danielle couldn't resist. She nudged Thomas's shiny black shoe with her muzzle. He drew his legs back in fright and cried out.

"He's scared of us..." Danielle said softly. Her ears drooped and her heart fell. For some reason, this fact made her very sad. She liked the odd little boy.

Just then, there was a loud, metallic crash in the kitchen. A cat wailed. long and sharp. The three dogs raised their heads at once and turned in the direction of the sound.

"It's Si and Am." Annette sighed. "I hope they haven't gotten Collette into trouble..." She raced off.

"Wait, Ma'am!" Kilian barked. He thrust himself away from the couch to follow her.

"Oh!" Aunt Sarah's hands flew to her face in a fluttery panic. "My babies! They've been hurt! No doubt being chased by one of those rascals!" She skittered from the room, shiny shoes clacking frantically.

"Aunt Sarah..." Darling picked Junior up and shifted him onto her hip, walking calmly from the room behind her high strung relative.

Danielle was left alone in seconds, standing stunned, still propped on the couch. It had all happened to fast for her! She furrowed her brow and gave a little growl. Everything always happened too fast for her...it was frustrating. She clawed at her head for a moment, wanting nothing more than to be rid of the fog that had been in there for as long as she could remember.

"Ugh..." Thomas whimpered again. She peeked over the couch at him, forgetting her own frustrations for the boy. He was tugging at his white dress shirt nervously. One of the buttons was undone.

"What's wrong?" Danielle whined. The boy shook his head and gazed around the empty room with tearful eyes. He gave another whimper. Danielle's heart went out to the little boy. He was scared.

She hopped onto the sofa to sit beside him. He crawled away, scooting as far from the spaniel mix as he could be. She didn't advance on him, but she watched him without a sound.

He shook his head again. That wild tongue jerked across his mouth once more. He gave a soft wail and thrust a tiny, weak fist into his own forehead a few times.

"Don't...don't hurt yourself..." Danielle looked around for help. She could hear the commotion in the kitchen. No one could come right now. The brown dog crept closer to the boy.

Thomas cried out again, softer this time. He raised his hand once more, but Danielle was fast enough to catch it under her paw. He stopped crying, and stared, stunned at his hand. He wiggled it a little, but Danielle didn't release him. She was as surprised as he was at the catch.

"Don't hurt yourself." Danielle said again. "It don't help anything." She tilted her head and gazed up at the boy, who met her eyes. His head bobbed on his shoulders as if his neck was struggling to support him.

Danielle kept her eyes on Thomas, but lowered her chin, ever so slowly, onto his hands. He made a small sound. It was more confusion and wonder than fear now. He was still.

After a while, the boy moved. He lowered his small frame onto Danielle's body and pulled his hands free, wrapping them around her furry neck. She blinked in surprise, but wagged her tail. He buried his wet, snotty face into her fur and made a small crooning sound. She could feel his frame relax on her.

Her heart beat a little faster when the boy grunted and crooned again, nuzzling deep into her back.

"I...I like you too." She stuttered. She'd made a friend.


End file.
